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Well I'm now a statistic. Being that I have worked in the automotive industry for 20 years I saw this coming from a mile away, and now it's official. I got the pink slip yesterday and now have to decide if I want to retire or go look for work. When I took my last job, I could still "hide" my MS. I was walking as far as I needed and could control the bladder lots better and didn't have to go pee every 15 minutes in the morning like I do now. I think I will have to disclose upfront right now or they'll think I came to the interview drunk.

So I'm going to hit up a few of my friends that own businesses and see if they'll give me some sort of cash job where I can sit all day. I just don't feel too good about my chances getting replacement type income for my job letting on that I have MS. I just don't see any other way. If it wasn't for my bladder I wouldn't be thinking about it like this, but in the morning for about the first three hours, I literally go about every 15 minutes. My last job was fully aware and they didn't mind, but I don't even know how I'd get through an interview if we had to do any significant walking or we were not very close to the bathroom. I'll find something, but at 4.5 on the EDSS, it's going to have to be something I can sit and do, and that isn't going to pay anything like what I would get from long term disability.

I just can't stand the fact that I might be even thinking about this, but here we are. Even if the economy were boomtown, I'd still be thinking this. It's just getting so hard to get up and stretch, and cath, and sit around and wait for my eyes to come back after my shower. And then I get to get major leg fatigue even before the day starts. I think I'm probably thinking about it in terms of going back and doing what I was doing before. That's probably never going to happen again, so I guess I'll see if anyone needs a receptionist! But even that wouldn't be too easy with me needing to go the BR so much. Do they make manually operated valves for your urethral sphincter? . I'd be first in line if they did. My urologist wants me on Enablex for this, but since I void so little (due to my secondary bladder issue of detrussor/sphincter dissynergy), I'd be looking at permanent cathing and that won't go over too well in the world of work either. Plus it's main side FX are constipation and dizziness; both of which I have major problems with already.

I suppose a plan will become clear after I stew on it for a bit, but right now it's looking like I might just retire and go on Social Security until we burn that up.

Loob,

Sorry to hear about the job loss, along with the other problems. That's one of the things that scares me the most about MS; how it relates to employment.

Do you have LTD through work?

Lew
I am sorry about this. Once you get ready to look ( if you choose to do so ) there is a website for jobs where you do computer work from home. I don't remember if I saw it on this site or another but will look for it if you would like. At least then no on can tell you when and when you can't use the restroom!
Lori

HI Lew!
I am so sorry. It's a huge thing to stop doing what we do.

I'm a nurse and had to quit that type of work long ago. I languished for a while kind of in depression before I realized I wasn't "dead" yet and I might be able to morph my background into something related. It turns out there is demand for pain management using hypnotherapy and that nurses do well in that field because of background so I decided that would be good for me.

This required going back to school and extensive learning as I was suddenly "in business" and an entrpreneur needing an office equipment, yellow ads, a phone etc rather than a staff nurse.

Looking back there are several things I would do differently if I could go back in time; First I'd get on the education part sooner, I spent too long stuck in woe mode and missed several good years to work in my new sedentary field. Second, I'd take the best, even if a little more expensive, classes right off the bat. Third, I'd have taken a class on small business because I spent way to much time on trial and error re: business stuff.

If you have retraining dollars available, take advantage! In a wierd way you may be lucky because you may be able to get money for that. It is probably true you'd eventually had to make a shift, so maybe this is good that it comes as a layoff with all the "beneifts" that gives. We paid out of pocket for my retraining because I was not laid off, but to be honest there may be retraining dollars for disabled people too I am not sure about that.

Is it possible to get unemployment and go to school? I do not know about that, but then again--gee-- if you have trouble because you fail interviews because you disclose.................................... Might as well be going to school same time, eh?

my timeline for reference was: I quit working as a nurse in 96, went back to school in '02 and just quit this year due to a broken arm. If I get better than I am now I will go back; as a pain management specialist. It turned out to be a great job for me! I've had MS for 18 years, and I am grateful that I have this sedentary job to fall back on.
Good luck Lew! I hope you find a new direction for yourself that feels exciting and good and new!

Lori,

The website is http://www.staffcentrix.com

My wife and I are working on a medical article translation tonight, our home-based work. We found this particular job advertised in Science magazine about 6 years ago and have been doing translations on occassion. We will do more of it when we retire from our day jobs.

Wesley

Lew, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. I think it's the kind of thing that could happen to just about anybody working in the private sector anywhere in the world these days. I hope you find a fulfilling new job.

I'm really sorry to hear that. It is a difficult time. I really hope that something that suits you turns up.

Thanks to all for your support. It's going to be interesting. I have some 'stuff' I'm working on today to see if I can become 100% debt free and retire. I'm going to take a big chunk of my retirement to do so, but that has been devastated by the market anyway. It's lost just over 50% and is now close to eating into what I put into it. Who would've thought that a year ago it would have been wise to yank your 401k out and take the penalty? It would have been a hell of a lot less of a hit than it has taken. But then again, now I don't have to take the penalty. My stock guy is so funny. He's like "you can't do that, you'll regret it". Well I just point blank asked him what we were going to do if it disappeared. How is -100% for a return? It just can't be justified right now to say "just ride it out". Riding it out could very well mean 100% loss, and when your 'folio is not very diversified, it can happen quickly in this environment. So good decision or bad is something I'm deciding right now. Conventional wisdom does not apply right now, and if I can get free and clear, then my wife's salary will not only pay the bills, but allow us to bury a mason jar now and again as well. So the bottom line is that the market is going and doing things that no one has all figured out. But while that's happening I'm supposed to "have faith" that my last quarters' loss of almost 30% is something I should just let ride? There isn't a soul in the world, save for someone that can show me a portfolio the size of mine (not very big) that is kicking butt, that can tell me it's best to just leave my money sit in there and disappear.

So I'm going to do that and try and get a 100% desk job somewhere, or work from home, and see if I can't get long term SSDI. It will be different, but I'm just setting myself up if I would take anything that involved barely any walking at all. I'm just at that point where I have to look at my career and view it like I did my jogging. I can still walk (albeit not very far), but not run, so that comparison is going to have to temper my job search because it just hurts too bad to try and do much more.

Lew
This is the site I was thinking of:

http://www.mytickettoworkathome.org


And BioDoc sent one also.

Lori

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Yes it can. I have found out that I can't wipe out the one retirement account I was talking about without some penalty because I'm not totally disabled. I guess I need to see what the definition of totally disabled is, but even at that, a 10% penalty is peanuts compared to what's been lost. So I have a straggler 401k from an old employer that's in my sights. We'll see. Today this is the plan. Sometime in the near future I'm sure the shock of realizing my earning potential has gone into the toilet will wear off and I'll settle down doing something I can handle physically. I just know that I'll get so worked up staying at home all day I'll have to. But I still want to get debt free (except for the house) ASAP and am going to do what it takes to do that because we just don't know if it's not all going to disappear. Like we always say, prepare for the worst, hope for.........well you know the rest of that! So I'm looking at cleaning out a 12 grand account. That would be heresy to do that with a penalty a short while ago, but only losing 1,200 beats the crap out of the 7,000 it lost in the last six months. I guess I'm just trying to make the right choice out of two bad choices. Well make that three because right now leaving it sit and just go away is also a bad choice right now. If you can't tell, I'm trying to drudge up the energy to do something that is against all my training!

Lew, this is really a bum deal for you and your family. I hope you find something you can do sitting or at home.

I thought the same thing about cashing out the 401K a few months back and paying off all the debt but the house. Then it lost 50% of it's value and wasn't enough to payoff the debt. I was so lucky to be offered the job I have today. I have been working from home for 3 months and it make such a difference not having to worry about the struggle of getting up, getting ready and driving to work. I was working in a building with no elevator and worked in the basement 2 flights of stairs. By the end of the day getting up those stairs was exhausting.

It will take some diligence on your part but I am sure you will find something you can do.

CF

Well I'm actually at my job today (at a much higher consulting rate thank you very much). They really needed my input on a big quotation, so I'm in here today and probably all next week at $45/hr! If they just can't live without me, they can at least pay through the nose for me! I'll keep every one posted on how it works out. I also got another good lead on doing detail CAD work for Proctor & Gamble Special Machines division out of Cincinnati, but I'd be doing it from home. It isn't as bleak out there as I thought. I guess after over 20 years of doing this stuff my name has gotten out to a lot of places I didn't imagine would know me, but I got 2 calls yesterday from former employers who I quit for advancement wanting to hire me back. I'm going to sit on those over the weekend and decide. I'll keep you all posted. I like the idea of working at home, but I also like the structure with following a rigid schedule. I never thought I'd say that, but believe it or not, it makes it much easier for my bowel routine I have to follow since I eat and what not at the exact same time every day when I have to go to an office.

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Lew,

It's good to hear that you have some promising leads. Would the CAD work be using AutoCAD, ProE, or something else? A few years ago, a friend of mine got laid off from his job as a mechanical engineer. He decided to go out on his own, and do contracting work. Got himself a powerful PC and license for ProE, and was able to work from home.